Motto or Mantra: Learning by HEART

Eagles

Isaiah 40:30-31 has been my “life motto” since I was in high school:

That is Isaiah 40:30-31: 

Even the youths grow tired and weary,

Even the young men stumble and fall;

But those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

The will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint. 

I remember thinking about this verse for the first time; I attended Student Leadership University when I was a sophomore in high school, and it changed my life. In order to attend this event (it was a week-long seminar/camp for high school students), I had to read a few books and write reports about them. All the authors of those books were speaking at SLU. This is the first time I have heard so many people go deep inside God’s words (and I mean DEEP). It taught us how to be leaders for Christ even if we have secular careers someday. The notes I took and experiences I had during those summers have completely changed my relationship with Christ. 

This was the main verse that the head speaker, and founder, Jay Strack, focused SLU entirely around. The symbol for SLU was an eagle because of Isaiah 40:30-31. 

He taught us that we were called to soar.

I remember leaving the conference that summer and beginning my junior year of high school a month later. That year brought a lot of obstacles: recovering after a bad breakup, mending a relationship with my parents, beginning my search for colleges, and finding out who I was. I was so lost during this time; I forgot how to soar.

I forgot my identity in Christ almost completely. 

Looking back as a junior in college, I can see that I have grown so much since then in both my security and in my relationships (God included). At the same time, I also see that so many of the things I struggled with then are the same things I struggle with right now. 

It’s funny how God works. He seems to always turn my head back to him when I am just about to turn the other direction. It’s like when I begin walking away, he taps my shoulder and reminds me that He is still here. 

Each time I read my favorite verse, I go back to SLU and hearing Dr. Strack speak for the first time. He told us that God created me to lead and to soar for Him. 

He didn’t really focus on the “tired and weary” parts of the verse, though. 

After years of reading this verse, I feel like I have gotten the whole message wrong from these short lines. 

Only one of the lines talk about soaring like an eagle, and that is what I want in my own life. I want to be a leader and I want to be excellent in everything I do. I have forgotten that it says “even the youths grow tired and weary and the young men stumble and fall.” 

I have stumbled and fallen so many times. I have grown weary so many times. One of the biggest things I struggle with, in all areas of my life, is self-perfection. I try so hard to look, act, study, and treat others so perfectly, that I eventually end up exhausted and crack under the pressure I create for myself. 

I have been reading my favorite verse for four years, but I have only been reading a small part of it. 

Everyone gets caught up in the stress of everyday life. We all are busy with school, jobs, family commitments, and so many other things (and yes, all of these things are great things!), but eventually, we will all grow weary. We will all stumble back into that sin we deal with sometimes. We will all feel defeated and humiliated when these things happen.

God renews my strength when I grow weary. He lifts me up because even the strongest and most faithful human being is just a human being. No matter how much I try, I will never be content with my own actions because I will never be perfect. 

If I was perfect, I wouldn’t need Jesus. But I do need Jesus. I need him to carry me through each day. Under the stress of friendships, college, the uncertainty in my future, through everything, I need Jesus to renew my strength. 

This is something I have to work on every day. I have to give up my desire for perfection every morning, and it takes a lot of willpower on my part to do so. 

Every time I grow stressed or tired, I think of my motto!